Malmö Fotbollförening, known more simply as Malmö FF, was founded in 1910 by the members of a local youth team, BK Idrott. In terms of total trophies lifted, Malmö FF are Sweden's most successful team. Their primary rivals are IFK Göteborg, Helsingborg and IFK Malmö. The rivalries with Helsingborg and IFK Malmö are mostly based on geographical location, while the IFK Göteborg clashes are fuelled by the two sides' history in competing against each other for major honours.

The 1970s marked the club's most successful era, with Malmö FF collecting league titles in 1970, 1971, 1974, 1975 and 1977. The 1978-79 campaign saw the team reach the final of the European Cup, where they were ultimately defeated by Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest team. Nonetheless, they remain the only Swedish team to reach the final of the European Cup and, as a result, received the Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal, which is awarded to the most significant Swedish sporting achievement of the year.

In total, the team have been crowned as Swedish champions on 16 occasions and have won the Allsvenskan 19 times. This includes three occasions where the title of 'Swedish Champions' was awarded to the winners of other domestic competitions. Malmö FF also hold the record for most Svenska Cupen wins, with 14 triumphs. On eight occasions, the club have won the Svenska Cupen and the league title in the same season, with their most recent 'double' taking place in 1989.

Swedish international striker Zlatan Ibrahimović began his professional career with the club. Some of the team's other notable former players include Bo Larsson, Krister Kristensson and Daniel Andersson. Hans Håkansson currently holds the record for most goals, having scored 341 times during his time with Malmö FF.

The team's home matches are played at Swedbank Stadion, which opened in 2009. The stadium has a capacity of 24,000 for league matches, although this is reduced to 21,000 for UEFA competitions.